1998 Volkswagen Beetle electrical system problems
Owners reported electrical system problems in 63 complaints for the 1998 Volkswagen Beetle, 22% of the complaints on file. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.
At a glance
- Complaints
- 63 22% of this year's complaints
- Typical mileage
- 59,000 miles 14 complaints with mileage
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 10
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 0
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
When electrical system problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 2 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 3 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 2 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 14 electrical system complaints that report mileage, the median is about 59,000 miles, and 50% were reported before 60,000 miles.
These complaints mention 2 crashes, 10 fires, 2 injuries.
What owners wrote
Battery problem. I stopped at signal and when I restarted the engine stopped and I was almost rear end. The ABS and brake lights came on. The car was towed. Apparently the battery was falling out of the car at 13,000 miles. A few months later I heard a noise and slipping within the transmission. As it turned out, engine coolant had leaked into the transmission and a rebuilt was put in. Within a few weeks after the rebuilt was put in, it was making some noise and it had intermittent lurching.
I"ve had multiple failures with my 1998 beetle. The car was overheating--found out that the engine fuses were melted over the battery terminal. My reverse lights stopped working--no one has been able to correct that yet, my daytime running lights don't usually work, but sometimes will come on all by themselves. Got locked in my car twice. The alarm sometimes goes off for no reason. The car periodically doesn't start. Had it towed to VW twice for this. They could find no problems.
Other problems reported for the 1998 Volkswagen Beetle
- Wipers, windshield & visibility 39 complaints
- Engine 32 complaints
- Lighting 28 complaints
- Body & structure 17 complaints
- Air bags 15 complaints